INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced a number of its scholarship awards for the 2018-19 year and two Mount Holyoke College recipients have been named. Seniors Colby Newsham and Zahkeyah Allen will both receive Postgraduate Scholarships from the organization to further their educational pursuits.
Newsham, who hails from Harvard, Mass., was awarded an NCAA Women's Enhancement Graduate Scholarship on behalf of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics. As a recipient of the scholarship, she receives a $10,000 award to be used during the 2019-20 academic year.
A former standout at the Bromfield School, Newsham was a four-year member of the Lyons field hockey team, twice serving as a captain. A starter in all 78 games she played, Newsham finished her career with 23 goals and 18 assists for 64 points. Additionally, she was a multiple NEWMAC Academic All-Conference and NFHCA Scholar-Athlete selection, while also garnering All-Conference and All-Region First Team recognition during her senior season.
A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Allen was awarded an NCAA Ethnic Minority Graduate Scholarship by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee. Like Newsham, she receives a $10,000 award to be used next year in graduate school. This comes on the heels of her being selected to participate in the U.S. Olympic Committee's F.L.A.M.E. program next month.
On the court, Allen played in 81 career games, including 64 as a starter. She scored 183 points while pulling down 173 rebounds. She also posted 89 assists with 73 steals and seven blocked shots. During her senior campaign in 2018-19, Allen served as a captain, recording 67 points and 58 rebounds in 23 games. She also recorded a career-high 29 assists and 26 steals on the season.
As scholarship recipients, both will be invited to attend the 2019 NCAA Career in Sports Forum (CSF) taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana June 6-9, at the NCAA national office. Hosted annually by the NCAA, the CSF is a four-day educational event which brings together two hundred selected students and student-athletes to learn about careers in sports, with a primary focus on intercollegiate athletics. The CSF is designed to assist student-athletes in charting their careers in the business, giving them the opportunity to network and learn from current athletics professionals.
Both Newsham and Allen will be pursuing graduate school next fall.
